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Spanish giant FC Barcelona are having a very difficult season. They are already out of the title race as they are ten points behind the top position. Additionally, the club suffered two unexpected defeats, which prompted Xavi Hernandez to resign.
Last week, they were eliminated from the quarterfinal of the Copa Del Rey as they lost to Athletic Club by a 4-2 margin. The Blaugrana also suffered a dramatic defeat in La Liga last night, losing to Villarreal by a thrilling 5-3 margin. As a consequence, the Barca boss has announced to step down as the manager of Barcelona at the end of the season.
Villarreal Stunned Barcelona
Last night, Barcelona welcomed Villarreal in La Liga. Barca boss Xavi Hernandez set up the team formation with 4-3-3, while Villarreal’s manager played his team in a 4-4-2 formation.
Since the start, Barcelona took control of the midfield and created some crucial chances. But the home side failed to find the net despite their several attacks. On the other hand, Villarreal made thousands of Barca fans silent when Gerard Moreno scored a goal in the 41st minute. Barcelona, however, tried hard to find the leveler but failed, resulting in Villarreal going to the break with a one-goal lead.
Coming back from the break, the visitors doubled their lead as Ilias Akhomach scored a brilliant goal for Villarreal in the 54th minute. But Barcelona responded well and returned two goals in a short period. The comeback started with Ilkay Gundogan breaking the deadlock for Barcelona when he found the net in the 60th minute, and Barcelona leveled the scoreline within ten minutes as Pedri hit the back of the net in the 68th minute.
Furthermore, Barcelona took the lead for the first time when Villarreal’s defender Eric Baily put the ball into his own net in the 71st minute. It seemed Barcelona would win the match, but the drama was yet to come.
Striker Goncalo Guedes gave a lifeline to Villarreal when he found the net in the 84th minute. The visitors destroyed Barcelona in injury time, as they scored two more goals, thanks to Sorloth Luis Morales. In the end, Villarreal secured a dramatic victory by a 5-3 margin against Barcelona.
Xavi Hernandez Announced to Leave!
Barcelona conceded nine goals in their last two defeats, putting pressure on Barca boss Xavi Hernandez. Finally, Xavi announced to quit after the surprise defeat against Villarreal last night. He also blamed the Media that influencing him to resign.
“I spoke with the board and the club today. I will leave on the 30th of June,” Xavi confirmed. “It’s a cruel job, you always feel like you’re not valued, you’re mistreated. You see how here they [the press] kill you, they criticize you and then… it affects you.”
Xavi added, “Everything will be calmer now, we can compete for the Champions League. With this decision [the press] you 𝐰𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞! I’m the most responsible.”
